On this Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting the Cecilia Rawlins Fund and its mission. CRF helps nourish children at Wiley Elementary School by funding the weekly Backpack Buddies program to provide meals to children on weekends. The fund also pays one time rent or utility payments for families in financial crisis. All programs and assistance are provided free of charge and almost 100% of donations are used to support the mission.

One in three children in North Carolina experiences food insecurity, which is higher than the national average. About 25% of Wiley students live at or below the poverty line. Chances are, you have spent time with a child who was ashamed, exhausted, anxious, unfocused, or any of the things that come with being chronically hungry.

A peek into the lives of the children and families in crisis at Wiley Elementary School:

● Some families were displaced and sought refuge in motels or split up to live with family.

All of the students were able to stay at Wiley for the school year due to the McKinney-Vento Act, federal legislation that gives those kids at least one safe, stable, nurturing place. The children get two meals a day during the school year, and staff and teachers have provided additional food to help these families over weekends and breaks. The burden of providing basic needs for these homeless and hungry children has fallen on the shoulders of dedicated faculty and staff who are already strapped. Additionally, earlier this year, North Carolina lawmakers tried to take away food assistance, including school lunches, from over 50,000 children from low-income families through a special provision in the state budget.

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is a 501 (c)(3) so your generous donations are tax deductible.

● $10 feeds a student one for one weekend

● $39 feeds a student for a month

● $175 funds a semester

● $350 funds an entire school year

We need more people in our community to make a bigger impact together. Put simply, we need your help. Donate online and tell others about this nimble little organization making a big difference.